


The Family

by Warp5Complex_Archivist



Category: Star Trek: Enterprise
Genre: Alternate Universe, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2006-02-21
Updated: 2006-02-21
Packaged: 2018-08-15 23:02:45
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 18,711
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8076328
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Warp5Complex_Archivist/pseuds/Warp5Complex_Archivist
Summary: Spoilers for 1.05 "Unexpected" and 1.23 "Fallen Hero." (08/05/2002)





	

**Author's Note:**

> Note from Kylie Lee, the archivist: this story was originally archived at [Warp 5 Complex](http://fanlore.org/wiki/Warp_5_Complex), the software of which ceased to be maintained and created a security hazard. To make future maintenance and archive growth easier, I began importing its works to the AO3 as an Open Doors-approved project in August 2016. I e-mailed all creators about the move and posted announcements, but I may not have reached everyone. If you are (or know) this creator, please contact me using the e-mail address on [Warp 5 Complex collection profile](http://archiveofourown.org/collections/Warp5Complex).

  
Author's notes: This story is set in an alternate universe, which will become obvious very shortly since I tinker a little with established canon, but only to make things more interesting. I follow where the plot bunny leads. Some of my stories may be a continuation of earlier fables, but this one is brand new and totally stands alone.  


* * *

The Accretion Disk wasn't giving up any of its secrets. The disk, in reality a flat sheet of gas, was usually found next to a newborn star, or perhaps a black hole, but there was no sign of either. Finding an Accretion Disk by itself was a very strange phenomena indeed and definitely worth checking out, even if the results of the investigation were driving Jonathan Archer crazy. No matter what he tried the readings that the shuttlepod had been taking in for the last hour had made no sense at all. 

Archer may have been all worked up into a twist about this celestial puzzle, but Trip Tucker couldn't care less. Oh he feigned interest whenever Archer commented on the phenomena, but in reality his mind was a million miles away, despite the fact that he was the one who talked Archer into going with him on this mission. The real reason they were out here wasn't because Trip was all gaga about learning more about Accretion Disks, but more because he desperately needed some time alone with the captain. 

Phlox had given the engineer some shocking news that morning. News that he needed to share with Archer, but Trip didn't want to tell John about it in his ready room, or even in his quarters. The captain was just too busy when he was on Enterprise, and the chance of interruption was too great. Trip was going to need Archer's undivided attention during this discussion, and he knew he wasn't going to get it on the ship, but right now it didn't seem like he was going to get it in this shuttlepod either. 

Archer was totally worked up with those strange readings of his. It could be hours before the scientific situation calmed down enough so the captain could be diverted onto another topic, and there was no way Trip could stay on edge all that time. Tucker made himself relax and tried to concentrate on the matter at hand. 

"I just don't understand it." Archer muttered. "There's a huge build up of EM radiation, but there's no source that I can find." 

"You don't suppose we're near one of those wormhole things, do you?" 

Archer jumped a little at Trip's question, then chided himself. You would think that after all these years John wouldn't still be caught by surprise when Trip's high level of intelligence peeked through his good ole boy attitude. Although astrophysics wasn't Trip's main source of interest, the engineer seemed to have correctly focused into the heart of the matter. 

"Maybe, but I don't know how we can tell..." 

Archer was cut off when the shuttle unexpectedly jerked forward. Then the pod began to violently shake as the ship, on its own accord, began to accelerate to fantastic speeds. The buffeting threatened to toss Archer out of the pilot's seat, but through grim determination, the captain was able to hang on. 

Trip wasn't so lucky. He felt himself falling with the first lurch of the shuttle, but he didn't even try to put out a hand to catch himself. The risk was too great. He simply wrapped his arms in a protective cocoon around his abdomen and made damn sure that he landed on his back. When Trip hit he had the breath knocked out of him. 

Fighting to recover, Trip just lay there for a few seconds before he was finally able to take stock of the situation. He could see that Archer had kept his seat, despite the continued buffeting, but was struggling, with little success, to regain control of the ship. Trip had to do something to help. Tucker struggled to get to his feet and made his way to the engineering monitors. When he saw the readout he whistled. "I don't believe this." 

"What is it?" 

"We've just gone to warp, and not only that, we've jumped into really high warp." 

"How high?" 

Trip knew Archer wasn't gonna believe him. Hell, Trip wasn't sure if he believed it either. "If this readout is correct, we're traveling at warp 8.5." 

"That's flat out impossible, Trip." Archer wondered if Tucker hit his head on the bulkhead when he fell, but no. 

Trip sounded perfectly rational in his reply. "I know it's impossible, but that doesn't mean it's not happenin' just the same." 

Archer settled down his mind. Forget the fact that this whole thing wasn't even feasible, no one that he knew of, and that was including the Vulcan's, had ever invented a warp engine that could go this fast. Hell, this shuttlepod wasn't even equipped with a warp engine of any kind. This shouldn't be happening, but it was, and right now there was nothing either man could do about it but just hang on. 

The shuttle plummeted along at this horrific speed for only ten more minutes or so before it shuddered once more, then finally came to a halt. Trip and John just sat still for a few seconds, letting time overcome their shock, then John looked down at their position and whistled. "I don't believe this." 

"What?" Trip didn't care for the sound of Archer's voice, not at all. He made his way forward to get a look at the readout on his own, even though Trip was pretty sure that he wasn't going to like what he saw. He was right. Not only didn't he like it, he just flat out didn't believe it. "We can't be this far away from Enterprise, we just can't." 

"I know we can't, but we are." John didn't want to believe it either, but he had to. One glance out the window was enough to confirm the dire news. Not one of the stars in view was familiar. "Somehow we've traveled hundreds of light-years in just a few seconds." Archer whistled as the enormity of the situation hit him. "That must have been some wormhole." 

Trip knew a smattering of astrophysics, but he was no expert. "I don't suppose wormholes go both ways do they?" 

"I don't think so." Archer checked the gages. "I'm not even picking up the same readings anymore . It looks like whatever it was, it's gone now." 

"And left us in the middle of nowhere." 

"I guess so." 

The sudden hopelessness of the situation suddenly caught up with Trip and he collapsed into a chair. Archer didn't quite understand the look of despair that overtook his friend and the captain suddenly became very frightened. Usually the engineer was a very optimistic person, one who never quit no matter how bad things got, but right now he looked like he had no hope in the world, and that was definitely not like Trip. Whatever the cause, Archer knew he had to try to cheer him up. "Enterprise was keeping an eye on us with their sensors. It's possible that they could have tracked us through the wormhole, and if they did then they know where we are right now." 

"What good is that gonna do? It'll take Enterprise more than a year to make it to our position, and that is if she was travelin' flat out the whole time." Trip pointed out. "There's no way we can survive in this pod long enough for them to reach us." 

"Not in this pod no." Archer agreed, then the captain started working the scanners. "But fortunately for us there is a Minshara class planet within range." 

"Really?" For the first time since the accident Trip perked up a little. No matter what happened now they would continue to go on living. The next question was how life was going to change. "Is it populated?" 

"It looks like it is." Archer checked the readings. "I'm picking up a few satellites in orbit, but no space stations or anything like that, but it does look like they have a big industrial base." 

"No idea if they've ever had alien visitors before though." 

"No." Maybe we'd better keep a low profile. We could set down in an unpopulated area and live off the land until Enterprise comes and gets us. That way we don't have to risk any cultural contamination." 

"You mean live by ourselves, without contactin' anybody from that civilization?" 

"Yeah." Archer didn't understand why Trip seemed to be having such a problem with that. He was a country boy after all. He was used to taking care of himself. "I know it might be a little rough at first, but we should be able to provide for ourselves until Enterprise gets here." 

"If she gets here." Trip was miserable. He knew that there was no way he could hold out that long. 

"She'll get here." Archer forced himself to sound confident. "Until then we'll just stay healthy, keep to ourselves and everything will work out." 

Yeah, sure. Trip knew that everything was far from all right. "It's too late for that, Cap'n." 

Too late, Archer wondered. They just got here. How could it be too late? "What are you talking about, Trip?" 

"Aw hell..." Trip rubbed his tired eyes and wondered where he was going to find the strength to tell Archer what he had to tell him. He just wanted to lay down right there and forget about this whole mess, but he couldn't give into that impulse. The captain was waiting for an explanation. "I dragged you away from Enterprise so I get you alone because I hadta tell you somethin' important. I didn't figure on all this happenin'." 

"The wormhole wasn't your fault Trip. Don't beat yourself up about it." 

"It's not the wormhole that's the problem, Cap'n." 

"Oh?" Archer may have asked the question, but despite his attention on astronomical phenomena, John had been aware that something else was going on. Trip had been acting strange all day, well before the accident that stranded them here. "I know that something is wrong. Whatever it is, I'll be here to help you, you know that." 

"I hope you're still thinkin' that when you hear what I've gotta say." Trip admitted, then he realized that he was just being chicken. He forced himself to take a deep breath and get it over with. "This has to do with somethin' that happened when we were both on the Xyrillian ship." 

"The Xyrillian ship?" That surprised Archer. They had lost contact with that species over three weeks ago. The captain ran his mind over the events that occurred during the time that he and Trip spent in their company, but couldn't remember anything that could account for Trip's current bad mood. 

At first Archer wasn't even going to go with Trip to visit the Xyrillian's, after all, there wouldn't be much for him to do while Trip was busy working in engineering, but upon reflection he thought it would be better if he went along. The reality was that they had never even heard of this species before, and although Archer liked to think the best of people, he didn't like the thought of sending Trip alone. 

If something went wrong, the engineer would be alone with a three hour delay to decompress between him and safety. Reed, of course, wanted to send over a whole contingent of armed guards, but Archer settled for himself with a phase pistol in his luggage. An armed contingent would definitely give the wrong impression. 

So he and Tucker spent three pleasant days on the alien ship. They both had a bit of a problem adapting to the extra pressure at first, but after a nap they were just fine. The repairs went smoothly and after some cultural exchanges with the crew it was time to leave. They had said goodbye to their newest friends and Enterprise went on its merry way. 

Archer thought the visit was a totally pleasant experience, but obviously something happened that he missed. "What is it Trip? What's wrong?" When the engineer hesitated, John pushed harder. "Just tell me. You know that you can tell me anything, don't you?" 

"I know, it's just that..." Trip hesitated. He had worried about this moment ever since Phlox had told him the news, but it was time to quit fretting and get it over with. "There's no easy way to say this, so I'm just gonna say it!" 

By now every internal alarm bell that Archer had was blaring full tilt. Something must be terribly wrong to upset Trip this much. Archer braced himself and told Trip to go ahead. 

"Ah'len wasn't exactly straight with us when we were playin' that game with her on her ship." 

"The game?" That caught Archer by surprise. Before they left the Xyrillian ship, Ah'len, their chief engineer introduced them to something called a holographic chamber, then she had taught them how to play a game that was popular on her planet. All three of them stuck their hands into a box full of granules and to Archer and Tucker's amazement they could actually read each other's minds! 

After learning Ah'len's favorite food, the captain was pleased to discover that Trip really did have a crush on Margaret O'Brien. It amused Archer to no end to re-live Trip's memories of crying along with the twentieth century child actress during the teary scene that was a staple in every one of her films. Archer always suspected that Trip was a big softy, especially around children, and here he had proof! 

But Trip wasn't the only one who had secrets revealed. The engineer always thought that Archer was partial to fried Okra, though the captain vehemently denied it in his presence, but now the secret was out. Archer liked Okra and that was that. 

Ah'len watched the back and forth telepathic banter with amusement. In fact, it seemed to Archer that she was getting a big charge out of it, but before he could ask her about it, they were informed that the reactor was coming back on line. Reluctantly the three pulled their hands out of the pebbles and ended their fun, or so he thought. "What does the game have to do with anything?" 

Trip didn't answer immediately, but Archer thought that Trip's cheeks were beginning to acquire a rosy hue. "Trip, are you blushing?" 

Trip didn't think he was that obvious, but blushing he was, and he had to tell John why. "Apparently that game was the Xyrillian way of having sex." 

"What!" Sex? Even though a part of John had always been attracted to the engineer, they had never been intimate before, so no wonder Trip was blushing. Archer couldn't help it when a image of himself and Trip making love flashed through his mind. Although he may have fantasized coupling with Trip in the past, he had never, ever imagined that the real act would only require sticking his hands into a box of pebbles. Trip must be mistaken. "We just played a simple little game!" 

"It wasn't so simple." Trip sounded sure of himself. 

"How the hell do you know that, Trip?" They hadn't been in contact with the Xyrillian's in weeks, and since they left Archer was sure that they had only played around. A little cross-cultural fun, that's all. How come Trip suddenly thought that the game was something more? 

Trip hesitated. Now they were getting down to the hard part. "I know because Ah'len left somethin' else out too." 

"What?" 

"She neglected to tell us that it's the males who carry the babies on her world, not the females." Trip kept quiet for a minute to let the implications sink in. 

When they did Archer was horrified. "Trip, you don't mean to say that...." 

Trip looked deeply into Archer's brown eyes. He wanted his meaning to be very clear, here. "I'm pregnant." The engineer all but whispered. 

"You're what?" Although he'd been half expecting it, Archer still wasn't sure if he'd heard that right. 

"I'm pregnant." Trip confirmed. "With your baby!" 

"With my..." Reeling, Archer leaned back heavily into his chair. This couldn't be real. This had to be a gag and a stupid one at that. "Okay, Trip." John started to laugh. "I appreciate you trying to distract me from our troubles out here, but couldn't you come up with something more believable than a baby...." Archer's voice trailed off when Tucker undid the top of his jumpsuit. When he lifted up his T-shirt Archer could clearly see a small bulge that protruded under Trip's left ribcage. "What the hell is that?" 

"I told you." Trip didn't blame Archer for not believing this wild tale. Hell, even he thought Phlox had been kidding at first. Tucker lightly ran his fingers over the growing pod knowing that this was proof. "This is a baby." Trip said with all the seriousness he could muster. "With Ah'len's DNA, my DNA and your DNA." 

"A baby!" Archer reached out a hesitant hand. Looking to Tucker for permission, he gently brushed his fingers across the bulge. Trip shivered and Archer looked up at him with concern. "I didn't hurt you did I, Trip?" 

"No, sir. The skin's just a bit sensitive there, that's all." 

"A baby..." Archer whispered that over and over, trying to get a handle on things. Trip seemed just as shocked as he was. "How long have you known about this, Trip?" 

"Just a few hours. Doc told me this mornin' when I went to have this checked." 

Trip held his left arm out and Archer saw a small mound in the middle of his wrist. It looked suspiciously like...."Trip, that isn't a nipple, is it?" 

"That's exactly what it is." 

"My, God." Thoroughly floored, the situation finally hit John full force. Trip was actually pregnant. A man was pregnant. A man. Archer felt a burst of panic and he frantically looked down at his own torso. 

Trip knew what that meant. "Don't worry, Cap'n." Trip reassured the man. "You're not knocked up too. The doctor scanned you when you weren't lookin'." 

"Thank God." Archer was so relieved, then he remembered his manners. After all, Tucker wasn't so lucky. "I'm sorry, Trip." 

"That's okay, Cap'n. I know the whole thing's a little hard to wrap your mind around." 

"You're not kidding." Archer looked at the bulge again. "We're really having a baby?" 

"Yeah." 

"Out here." Archer looked around them in dismay. It was bad enough that Trip, a man was pregnant, and they were suddenly going to be responsible for caring for a new life. Archer knew that they would have had a hard enough time dealing with this on Enterprise, but out here, all alone....

Trip had been following Archer's train of thought. "I'm sorry, Cap'n. I just wanted to get you off of Enterprise so I could tell you about the baby without anyone else listenin' in. I didn't expect us to get cut off like this." 

"It's not your fault Trip." Archer said that with such certainly that Trip couldn't help but believe him. 

Still, they were in big trouble now and Archer knew it. "You're going to need medical attention. There's no way that we can go through a pregnancy, especially the first male pregnancy in recorded human history alone." Archer turned back to look at the planet, hoping that their level of medical technology was going to be up to this great challenge. John started to lay in a course. "I guess we're going to have to risk some cultural contamination after all."

* * *

After landing they hid the shuttlepod in a remote cave and covered the entrance as best they could. It wasn't perfect, but Archer hoped the camouflage would be good enough to keep the pod out of sight of the locals. At least for awhile. 

Once the shuttle was secured John and Trip started to hike to a nearby farm that John had spotted from the air on the way in. It was a sunny, pleasant day, but their walk was slightly hampered by an occasional rumble coughed up from the ground. Scans from orbit revealed that this planet had an unusual amount of seismic activity. Unusual, but not extreme. Ground quakes were the norm here, but computer models predicted that most of the tremblers wouldn't be very severe. Never the less, Archer kept a wary eye on Trip during the hike. It was a long walk and the ground shifting, even slightly, wasn't a help, but so far the engineer seemed to be holding up okay, despite his unusual condition. 

After twenty minutes or so they reached the farm house and were able to trade some things that they had salvaged from the pod for some local money and clothes. Then they were able to catch a bus to Braqi, the largest nearby town where the farmer was sure that they could find work in the Holteck factory, the largest employer in the region. 

Archer thought it was a little odd that the farmer didn't seem to be bothered by the fact that two strangers dressed in exotic clothes suddenly appeared in his backyard, especially since the humans looked nothing like the locals. Then John decided not to question the fates at the moment. They still had a long way to go before they got settled on their new world. They had to get a job, a home and get Trip to a doctor before Archer could relax, and John was willing to take any break he could along the way without question. 

Hitaria, the name of their brave new world, seemed to be a planet of contrasts. While maintaining an industrial base and containing a near 20th century level of civilization, the pace of life seemed to be decidedly laid back. 

Everyone was certainly friendly enough. The bus driver cheerfully directed the pair to the employment office of the Holtech factory, where they were greeted by a man named Jaruck who looked over the resume that Archer had made up on the spot. 

"I see your lacking specific knowledge on how to build Holtecha's, however..." The employment officer looked Archer up and down. "You look like a smart fella. I'm don't think you're going to have too much problem with picking up the basics." 

"I'm a quick study." 

Jaruck stamped the papers. "You're hired." The employment officer waved the digits of his hand in an intricate pattern which John guessed was the Hitarian version of a handshake. "Welcome to the family." 

There was no way that a human hand could match such movements, so John just settled for a simple wave in return. "Thank you very much." Archer let himself relax for the first time since they were pulled through that wormhole. One hurdle was now overcome at least. 

"Here's your orientation booklet." Jaruck handed John a packet. "It contains a description of your duties, benefits and insurance." 

"Thanks." Jaruck didn't seem to flinch when he handed the papers to Archer even though Archer's hand only had five digits compared to Jaruck's ten. As much as it was benefiting the humans at the moment, the Hitarian tendency to ignore the obvious was beginning to bother Archer, a lot. "If you don't mind my asking, you don't seem surprised to find a couple of...strangers perched on your doorstep." 

"Oh, heavens no." Jaruck poo pooed. "We get strangers here quite often. All different types. They all tell me that they ended up stranded here somehow." 

Trip and John looked at each other. Apparently they weren't the only space travelers that the wormhole had brought to this quiet planet. "What happened to these other visitors?" 

"Oh I gave them all jobs. Most of them have integrated with our society quite nicely. Some have been here for years." 

Years? That didn't sound very good. Apparently the other aliens didn't have any more luck getting home than they did. "I'll have to look them up when I've got the time." Archer said. 

"Why don't you." Jaruck agreed. "That would be nice." 

Like the captain, Trip was also beginning to notice just how agreeable and trusting Jaruck and his people were. A little too trusting. "So tell me, Jaruck, aren't you just a little curious about where we all come from?" 

"Curious?" Jaruck seemed a little puzzled. "I'm sorry. I'm afraid that I've never heard of that that term." 

Trip and John exchanged another look. Imagine a species who didn't understand curiosity. That just accepted everything that came without questioning it. Trip wasn't sure that this was the wisest way to live, but it certainly must be less stressful. 

Archer decided that it didn't matter what the reasons were. It looked like Hitaria was going to be their home for a long time and he was just glad that he and Trip were being accepted so easily. "Never mind, Jaruck, we're just happy that you were able to give me a job." 

"Oh, I'm thrilled to do it." And Jaruck truly was too. He enjoyed helping people and considered it one of the perks of his job. It was especially nice when Jaruck could help a couple like the one that was sitting before him. It didn't matter that they looked different from your average Hitarian, they were still darn cute. 

Jaruck filed Archer's paperwork away and turned toward Trip. "Now, as too your partner..." 

"I'm afraid I'm not up to workin' full time right now." Trip's face flushed and he looked down, more than a little embarrassed. "I've sorta got a condition." 

Archer saw that Trip was stumbling and stepped in. "We were hoping that we would be able to find a doctor for Trip to see." 

"Doctor's are expensive." Jaruck pointed out. "But as your spouse he's qualified for medical insurance." 

"Spouse?" John and Trip were both a little shocked at the word. What the hell did Jaruck mean by that? 

Jaruck was surprised at their surprise. "You are married, I assume?" 

Married! The word reverberated throughout the room. Sure they were the only two humans on an alien planet stranded light-years from home. Sure Trip was pregnant with a child that was two-thirds theirs, but married? They were two guys for Christ's sake. 

Archer was the first to find his voice. "No, we're not married." 

"Oh." Jaruck looked a bit embarrassed for the very first time. "I just assumed..." 

"It's all right." Trip assured the man quickly, not wanting to blow the deal. "We were just wonderin' what bein' married has to do with anythin'?" 

"Well you said you needed medical attention." Jaruck reminded them. "And I'm afraid that I must tell you that doctors are very expensive here. It's much more than your salary can afford to pay." Jaruck gestured to Archer. "You are covered by our companies insurance, but if your friend can't work then I'm afraid he's out of luck." 

Archer felt a moment of despair. Trip would never live through this pregnancy without medical help. He had to see a doctor, no matter what the cost. John knew that Trip wasn't going to like this, but Archer had to pursue the only course of action that appeared to be open to them. "But if we were married, then Trip would be covered?" 

Archer heard Trip's exclamation of dismay, but forced himself to concentrate on Jaruck's affirmative answer. "Not only would he be covered by your medical benefits..." Jaruck told them. "You also would be eligible to receive off site housing which consists of a very nice apartment, and food rations at the local grocery store." Jaruck smiled. "We like to keep our employees happy." 

John's heart sank. He knew that Trip wasn't going to like this situation, but what choice did they have. "In that case..." Archer told Jaruck. "Do you know where we could find a Justice of the Peace?"

* * *

Furious, Trip barely held his tongue until they got out of Jaruck's office. "Are you outta your mind?" Archer had his back to Tucker and didn't turn around when Trip began his tirade so Trip grabbed Archer's arm and spun the captain around to face him. "We can't get married." 

"What's the matter, Trip? You think I'm not attractive enough for you?" Archer was joking, or was he? 

"Aw hell...." Truth be known, Archer was plenty attractive to Trip. He always had been, but Trip had never seen any indication that Archer thought the reverse was true, and if Trip wanted to be honest with himself, he was more than a little afraid to find out. Better to not know and then be free to imagine whatever he wanted, then know the truth that his feelings for Archer were not reciprocated. Without any conscious intent, Trip felt the tears begin to well up in his eyes. "Damn." 

Archer's heart broke at the sight. "Don't cry, Trip. Everything will work out okay." 

"It's not that." Trip sniffed, trying to stifle up the wetness. "Doc told me my hormones were gonna run unchecked. Guess he was right. Still..." The tears slid past his defenses and started to flow again. "All this is my fault, Cap'n. I'm sorry" 

"How can it be your fault, Trip? Earth used to be like this you know. Everybody was slaves to the corporations and insurance companies." Archer could clearly see Trip's dislike for the entire situation and worked to cheer the engineer up. "We'll just have to do what we have to do to make the best of it and get by." 

"I'm not talkin' about the corporations or the insurance, I'm talkin' about bein' pregnant." Trip looked at his feet, afraid to face Archer. "We wouldn't need ta get hitched at all if I didn't hafta go and get knocked up." 

"That wasn't your fault." Archer pointed out. "And it wasn't mine." 

"Damn straight." Trip agreed. "It was Ah'len's." 

"I agree, but Ah'len's not here to face the music, so you and I will have to deal with this alone. Now Trip..." Archer slid a finger under Trip's chin to force his head up so the engineer could meet his eyes. "I'm considering it my responsibility to see that both you and our baby stay healthy, and it looks like the only way to do that is to get married, so why don't we go and do just that." 

The irony of fate wasn't lost on Trip. Here Jonathan Archer was actually asking Trip to marry him, something he had idly dreamed about in the past, but today's reality was that he never, ever wanted to get hitched this way. "Lookit here, Cap'n, I appreciate the sacrifice that you're willin' to make on my behalf, but I just don't want to be the one to hafta force you into a shotgun weddin'." 

"Don't think of it that way, why don't we just think of this as a marriage of convenience, that's all." 

"Sure, convenience." Damn. This wasn't what Trip had in mind at all when he imagined getting hitched up with someone. Getting married was supposed to be for love, not insurance benefits. Then a sudden wave of dizziness reminded Trip that it wasn't only his convenience that they were talking about here, or John's. There was another life that he was responsible for. 

While Tucker was working this all out Archer began to get seriously worried. "Are you all right Trip?" 

"Sure." Tucker made himself stand up straight. It was past time that he quit feeling sorry for himself and started taking care of the life inside of him proper. He looked into John's eyes. Maybe this wasn't the way he wanted to do it, but the bottom line was he and John appeared to be destined to become a couple and it was time to stop looking a gift horse in the mouth. "Come on, Cap'n. Let's go get hitched." 

Archer smiled and took Trip by the hand. The warm feeling of John's fingers grasping his made Trip gasp, but he was pleased to note that Archer wasn't quick to pull away. Reveling in the feeling, Trip allowed himself to be pulled out of the hall. It was time for the two of them to legally become one.

* * *

Trip knew that he was in a chapel the moment he set foot in the place. Despite the fact that he was on a planet hundreds of light-years from earth, this room looked just like one of those trashy 24 hour wedding chapels that haunted the Vegas strip. Tucker half expected Elvis himself to come and perform the ceremony, but he got an ordinary Hitarian instead. 

The preacher asked if they had a specific type of ritual in mind and Archer handed him a sheet of paper containing their hastily written vows. "I've never seen this type of covenant before..." The preacher said with the now standard Hitarian lack of curiosity, "...but these shall do nicely." He gestured for the couple to move forward. "Would you stand here please?" 

Fighting not to let his nerves show, Trip allowed Archer to pull him toward the pulpit, then the pair just stood there, side by side, almost afraid to look at one another as the preacher began the ceremony. John could see that Trip was really nervous, so he took a hold of Trip's hand to reassure the man that he wasn't alone. 

Once again Trip felt a rush of heat at John's touch. Trip didn't know if it was the shock of getting married, the effects of his pregnancy or simply the surprising charge he was feeling by having Jonathan Archer's hand wrapped around his own. Regardless of the cause, the combined effects of all of the above was making it hard for Trip to concentrate on what was going on. 

There were two parts of the ceremony that he did manage to remember later. One was when Johnny slipped that gold wedding band on his finger, and the other was their vows. 

"Do you, Jonathan Archer, take this man, Charles Tucker the Third to be your lawfully wedded husband?" Trip heard the preacher ask Archer. "To have and to hold, for richer for poorer, through sickness and health, till death do you part?" 

Archer stared intently into Trip's eyes and tried to send along all the reassurance he could with his answer. "I do." 

The preacher turned to Trip. "Do you, Charles Tucker the Third, take this man Jonathan Archer to be your lawfully wedded husband? To have and to hold, for richer for poorer, through sickness and health, till death do you part?" 

Trip was surprised that his voice was entirely steady as he tried to respond with the same confidence and grace that Archer had when it was his turn. "I do." 

"Then by the power vested in me by the great province of Braqi, I pronounce you a legally mated couple." 

Trip and Archer smiled at each other and John's grip tightened on Trip's hand just a little bit. They were both relieved that the ceremony was over and that they made it through in one piece. Unfortunately they relaxed a little too soon since the preacher had one more line to speak. "You may kiss your mate." 

Stunned, Trip and John stared at each other in horror, before turning to the preacher. It wasn't so much that John didn't want to kiss Trip, he just didn't know how the engineer would respond to the idea, and John didn't want to put his friend through any more anxiety than he had to. "Do we really have to kiss?" 

"In order for your marriage to be legally binding you must kiss." Finally a little curiosity began to show. Why did the couple before him hesitate? "Is something the matter?" 

"No." Archer should have anticipated this. A kiss was required to seal a marriage on their own world, it shouldn't be a surprise that it was required here, yet when Archer turned to Trip, the captain only saw total despair in the engineer's eyes. 

Trip was miserable. He knew it was his fault for having to force Archer into a shotgun marriage, and now they would have to kiss on top of all the other humiliations they'd been forced to endure that day. "Cap'n..." Trip started, intending to tell Archer to forget the whole thing. 

"It's okay." John whispered. He had correctly read Trip's anguish and rushed to reassure the engineer. "It's okay." John repeated then moved forward, intending to only brush Trip on the lips. Planning on only a chase kiss, enough to satisfy the legal bureaucracy on this planet and certify their marriage, but when his lips touched Trip's, his body had other plans. 

It was if he had unwittingly ignited a source of liquid fire. John had never felt such passion before, and he had been involved in some pretty intense relationships in the past. Instead of just lightly brushing Trip on the lips and pulling away, John felt himself moving closer. His mouth opening wider. Trying to devour as much of Trip's mouth as he could, and Archer wasn't the only one feeling this way. He felt Trip's arms wrap around him and pull him tighter into the embrace. That was when John knew that Trip was getting as big a charge out of this as he was. 

The kiss would have gone on forever, but then Archer heard the gentle coughing of the preacher, reminding them that they weren't alone. Surprised and embarrassed at his reaction, John pulled away from Trip and couldn't meet his eyes. The engineer was equally shy. Archer turned his attention to the preacher instead. "Was that sufficient?" 

"More than sufficient." The preacher smiled, enjoying the company of two people who were so obviously in love. "You are now legally married." 

Legally married. The term echoed again and again in Trip's head as he watched Archer thank the preacher. Despite the afterglow he felt reverberating about that kiss, Trip couldn't help but worry about the future. What the hell was going to happen now?

* * *

The next step was to check out their new quarters. Jaruck told them that their apartment wasn't big, but it was paid for and...Jaruck looked directly at Trip...it should be sufficient enough to house a growing family. Archer smiled when he saw Trip blush and told Jaruck that it would be fine. 

Now they stood in the middle of the hall of their new home. In view was a small living area along with a kitchen which had a table and four chairs in the middle of the room for eating. "I'm glad we don't have to worry about digging up some furniture for the place." John commented, noting that the living room came complete with a couple of comfy looking chairs and something that resembled a couch. "That's just great." Trip was less than enthused about this whole experience, thinking that Archer was making the apartment sound like his dream home, which he knew damn well wasn't true. 

What John was really trying to do was put the best face on things, but as apartments went, this one wasn't that bad. When he and Trip found a storage room off of the kitchen John thought it might make a nice nursery, but he didn't have the courage to discuss such things with Trip just then. Better to let them settle in a bit first. Instead Archer concentrated on talking up the comfort of the bedroom. 

"This is nicely decorated." John pointed out. "And look, there's plenty of closet space." 

"Yeah, closet space." Trip wasn't looking at the closet, his mind was focused on the fact that there was a bed in the room. Only one bed. Even though it was a large double, it was still only one. 

Archer also was aware of the bed problem. Still fresh from their passionate kiss at the wedding, John didn't have any trouble imagining what he and Trip could do with that one bed, but Archer had to reign in his imagination. John knew darn well if he ever told Trip about his sexual fantasies he would scare his friend to death, so he pushed the vivid image out of his mind and had the engineer examine the bath as a diversion. The situation was awkward enough without dealing with sleeping arrangements right then, and John wanted a little time to think things through before they tackled the problem head on. 

The bathroom was small, but well equipped and Trip cheered right up when he saw the shower. He didn't think he'd ever felt this dirty before and Tucker was eager to feel the bliss of billowing water sliding down his skin, but it turned out that the shower would have to wait. Suddenly weary, all of the events of the last couple of days caught up to Trip in a rush and the engineer wavered on his feet. 

Concerned, Archer reached out to steady his friend. "Trip. Are you all right?" 

"Fine." Trip tried to reassure the worried man. "I guess I'm justa little tired, that's all." 

Archer knew that the last few days had been really hard on Trip. Being the first human male to become pregnant was bad enough, but to deal with it while stranded on a strange world light-years from home must be overwhelming. Hell, Archer was having a hard time dealing with it himself, and he wasn't the one who was knocked up. "Why don't you take a nap? I'll start settling in while you sleep." 

"I should help you." Trip meant the offer. He really did, but the instant he lay down his eyes closed of their own violation and within seconds he was asleep. 

Archer just stood there, watching over his sleeping companion for a few minutes to assure himself that Trip was all right, then silently left the engineer to his rest.

* * *

Trip woke up confused. He flung his right arm out, like he usually did when he woke, but this time it didn't knock against the steel of the bulkhead next to his bed. This time his arm flailed in empty air. This wasn't his bunk on Enterprise! Trip shot straight up, looking around the room in confusion. He'd never seen this place before? Where the hell was he? 

Then Tucker caught a flash of gold on his left hand and the memories came tumbling back. That's right. He was in their new apartment on a far away planet, and he was married to the captain. And speaking of the captain....an enticing odor started to fill the room. The engineer in Trip took over and he got to his feet, tracing the inviting smell into the kitchen. 

There he found Archer, the captain of the Enterprise, wearing an apron of all things and frying up something over the stove. Tucker just stood still and watched the captain for a moment. Archer and Trip had been together in a variety of situations during the eight years that they'd been friends, ranging from tight command scenarios when Archer was totally in charge during a crisis on the bridge, to the captain dissolving into a slobbering, sentimental fool when he would lavish hugs and kisses on that dog of his, but never, ever, had Trip seen Archer looking so....domestic. It was kind of unnerving. 

He must have made some sort of noise because Archer looked up from his cooking and smiled when he saw Trip standing in the doorway. "Hey there. Feeling better?" 

"Much." Trip admitted and sat down in one of the kitchen chairs. "Whatcha makin'?" 

"Chicken Fajita's." Archer said positively, then he paused for a moment and backtracked a little. "Well, it's not exactly chicken, and the fajita's aren't made with real tortillas either, but this was the closest thing I could find in the grocery store." 

Trip took in a big sniff. "Smells great." 

"It'll be ready in a few minutes." Archer inspected the engineer closely. Trip looked a great deal better since his nap, but Tucker still seemed a little frayed at the edges. "Why don't you take that shower. Dinner should be ready by the time you're done." 

"Good idea." A tremor slightly rocked Trip's feet as he headed for the bedroom. Another sign of Hitaria's restless seismic nature. Something else they had to get used to, Trip mused as he stepped into the bathroom. 

Thirty minutes later, clean and refreshed, Trip sat down to dinner with John. "Hungry?" The captain asked. 

"I'm starvin'." 

"Good, because I made plenty." Archer put the sizzling pan on a potholder in the middle of the table and then handed out the plates with the rest of the fixings. "Dig in." 

Trip didn't waste any time. Archer watched with amusement when Trip seemed to literally inhale his food. He suspected that Trip might have an extraordinary appetite, so he doubled his usual recipe. He had learned all about pregnancy and voracious appetites when his aunt was pregnant with his cousin. She seemed to spend every moment of her visit just packing food away. So much so that John's childhood nickname for her became the human garbage disposal. Archer thought that pregnancy might bring out the same ferocious appetite out of Trip so he had cooked appropriately. 

The two didn't talk much during the meal. At first Trip was to busy eating to say anything, so the quiet was only broken occasionally with a comment about the food. The meat tasted strange, nothing like chicken, but it was good just the same. Any other topics of conversation just highlighted the situation they were in and neither man was quite ready to talk about it yet. 

But after dinner, when Archer started to clear the table, Trip couldn't take anymore. "You don't hafta clean up, Cap'n. I can do the dishes." 

"I don't mind, Trip. It's been a long time since I've gotten my hands nice and soapy. It'll be fun to do it again." 

"You shouldn't hafta." Trip repeated, in almost a whisper. Once again the ramifications of the situation slammed into Trip, full force. "You're the captain of a starship for Christ's sake. Starfleet entrusted you with the most sophisticated machine mankind has ever made, because you're the most competent man for the job, and here you end up doin' dishes like a busboy or somethin'." 

"I don't mind." 

"But, you should." Trip protested. "Not only do you hafta do chores, startin' tomorrow you hafta slave all day in a factory of all things, it's demeanin'." 

"I'm kind of looking forward to making Holtecha's. They sound interesting." 

"Interestin' my ass." Trip felt the guilt overtake him again. "I'm so sorry, Cap'n. This is all my fault." 

"Don't start that up again." Archer ordered. Then he dried his hands, pulled out a chair and sat to face Trip. He took one of the engineer's hands in his own and Trip felt the flash of heat that he felt earlier flow through him again. Tucker forced himself to ignore his reactions for the moment and concentrate on what the captain was saying. "We've had this conversation before. I know this isn't the ideal situation to be in, but we'll just have to make the best of things until Enterprise can get here." Archer could see that Trip was beginning to lighten up, but he still needed a little extra push. "Cheer up, Trip." 

Trip had to work at it, but he did manage to bring a genuine smile to his face. "Aye, Cap'n." 

"That's another thing." Archer hesitated to bring this up, but they were going to be here for a long time. Enterprise was out of reach, at least for the foreseeable future, and they were going to have to leave their old world behind and learn to embrace the lifestyle of the Hitarian industrial family for as long as they were here. Archer was willing to do what he had to in order to get by, even if it meant working in a factory and doing the dishes, because the reality of the situation was that he no longer had a ship to command. He was no longer responsible for 82 lives other than his own. No, his responsibility had shrunk down to a total number of two. Trip and their unborn child, and Archer was going to do everything he could to make sure that they stayed healthy and happy, so the sooner they got adjusted to life on Hitaria, the better. 

Archer knew Trip was going to accept their situation, it was just going to take the engineer a little longer because he had to work past his guilt. That's why Archer was willing to take a chance and push Trip now. "I want you to call me John, not captain, for as long as we're here." 

"But, Cap'n..." Trip couldn't call the captain John. Even though they had been friends forever, there was still that wall of rank that hung between them. Trip couldn't conceive of referring to Archer by his first name. It just wasn't right. 

Archer moved to buttress his argument. "We're not on Enterprise, Trip. There's no Starfleet protocol to follow." John gestured to the gold wedding band on Trip's ring finger. "That's our new protocol. We're married, Trip, and when the baby comes along, we're going to be a family. Until Enterprise shows up we've got to make this family our first priority and that means no more commander, no more captain. Just Trip, John and the baby. Okay." 

Trip didn't like it and Archer could see that he didn't, but Trip understood the reality of the situation as well as Archer did, and he knew when to give in. "All right, Cap....I mean John." 

"That's it." Archer gave Trip's hand a friendly squeeze before letting go. "How about some dessert?" 

"Sounds great." Trip thought about the 'chicken'. "I don't suppose that they have any ice cream on Hitaria?" 

"I don't think so." Archer admitted, taking something out of the refrigerator. "This was the closest I could find. They call it Klaka." 

He put two bowls onto the table. Trip examined the stuff carefully. It seemed to be a cross between a pudding and a cake. "This looks...interesting." 

"The grocer assured me that it was really good." 

"Is this the same person that recommended the fajita's? 

"The very same." 

"Well, the 'chicken' wasn't too bad." Trip picked up a spoon and gingerly scooped up a bite. His eyes opened wide when he tasted it. 

"That bad?" Archer asked. 

Trip shook his head. "No, that good." The engineer managed to get got out despite the fact that he was talking with his mouth full. "This is the best thing that I've ever eaten." 

"Really?" When Trip nodded after shoveling in another spoonful, John gave it a try. "Mmmmm." Archer agreed. This was good. Maybe living on this planet wasn't going to be too bad after all. 

After desert they finished up the chores and before they knew it, it was time for bed. Archer couldn't put off dealing with the sleeping arrangements any longer and volunteered to sleep on the couch. 

"Cap'n!" Trip said, then when he caught Archer's look he amended his protest. "I mean John. You are not gonna sleep on the couch!" 

"Because I'm the captain?" 

That was exactly it, but Trip ran their earlier conversation over in his mind again and knew that particular argument wasn't gonna fly. 

It didn't. "You take the bed, Trip." John insisted. "You and the baby need more space. I'll be fine on the couch. 

John may not still be a captain, but Trip recognized an order when he heard one and gave in. "Okay." 

"Okay." John clapped him on the shoulder and started to get the couch ready for its nighttime duty. 

As Trip watched Archer struggle with a blanket, Tucker had to admit that all he really wanted was to share the bed with John, but there was no way he could suggest that. Shoving his fantasies back down into his brain, Trip got ready to go to bed alone.

* * *

The next few weeks passed quickly and the "family" began to settle into their new surroundings. Archer got the hang of his factory job right away, and as the days moved along he found, to his surprise, that he really enjoyed the work at times. Yes it was simple. Yes it was repetitive. Yes it could be boring soldering wires onto circuit boards all day, which if you came right down to it was all that was required to make a Holtecha, yet that turned out to be one reason why Archer found that he liked the work. 

Now don't get him wrong. Jonathan Archer knew that he was born to command a starship. He reveled in the adventure and the thrill, but he hadn't realized how much the constant responsibility wore him down until he was relieved of it. The worst that could happen if he messed up on this job was the loss of a piece of plastic, not the loss of a life. While Archer would gladly put on his captain's hat again, when and if Enterprise came to rescue them, he had decided to consider his factory work as some sort of strange vacation and he was determined to enjoy it as long as it lasted. 

Unfortunately life wasn't as pleasant for Trip, at least not at first. It was pretty hard to enjoy yourself when you were throwing up all the time, or dragging around dead tired because your baby was using up all your energy building up a nice womb for itself deep inside your gut. Not to mention the back aches, his uncontrollable appetite, and the nearly constant shifting of the ground which only inflamed his nausea, all combined to make the first couple of weeks of life on Hitaria very uncomfortable for the engineer. 

At least he didn't have to worry about the baby's health. Thanks to John's insurance Trip was able to start up regular visits with a Dr. Zarell, who in typical Hitarian fashion, didn't wonder at all over the fact that that his newly pregnant patient happened to be a male of a species that he had never heard of until that day. He pronounced both Trip and the baby to be healthy enough, and although he could only guess as to how the pregnancy would progress since both human's and Xyrillian's were new to him, Zarell had delivered enough babies in his lifetime to know that most species came into this world in pretty much the same way and he was confident that Trip's child would do the same. 

The doctor set up an exam schedule and gave Trip a list of nutritional requirements and pamphlets on what to expect now that he was expecting, then sent Trip home to his misery. John was relieved to know that Trip and the baby were healthy, but he couldn't help but laugh at his friend when Trip bemoaned the fact that his feet hurt, or when he had to rush to the bathroom to relieve himself for the 'umpteenth' time that day. However, Trip had his revenge when he sent John out to the 28 hour grocery store at five in the morning for Klaka and Targa Root, the Hitarian equivalent of pickles and ice cream. There was no shelter when the call for cravings struck and John had no choice but to go. 

At work Archer had run across a couple of people who obviously weren't Hitarian, and as he suspected, they had been stranded here by the wormhole just as John and Trip had. Nobody had any ideas on how to get back home, but the group bonded together and all of them became close friends. 

The work in the factory may have been hard, but they were fortunate that Archer had an employer who actually cared about their employees. In addition to good housing and excellent health care, the factory owners frequently played host to employee barbecues, parties and dances. Trip and John attended these events quite frequently and enjoyed being with their neighbors immensely. 

At Dr. Zarell's suggestion, they also joined an expectant parents support group, and although Trip was the only male present who was pregnant, everyone accepted them with open arms. They got to exchange views with other couples, learn baby tips and parenting strategies, not to mention Trip got extra sympathy from the other women in his particular boat whenever the dreaded topic of morning sickness came up. The couple was fitting in. 

A few weeks later John accompanied Trip to his doctor's appointment at Dr. Zarell's request. The child was growing at an astounding rate, and the bulge protruding from Trip's abdomen was so large that Tucker couldn't tuck in his shirt anymore. Pretty soon he would he would have to buy some larger clothes to cover the expanding pod. 

After running his standard tests, Dr. Zarell hooked Trip up to an ultrasound imaging scanner. "This is why I wanted you to accompany your spouse here today." Zarell told Archer. "I wanted you both to see this." 

Zarell flipped a switch and Trip gasped as the screen came to life. It showed the image of a curled up fetus. Their fetus. This was the first time that both men had been able to get a good look at their child and the impact was simply amazing. 

The outline of a baby was clearly defined, surprisingly so considering this child was only two and a half months old. In fact...Archer peered closer and discovered that he wasn't mistaken. He did see fingers and toes beginning to form on those little hands and feet. 

Trip was simply overwhelmed by the whole thing. That was a real life. A living being, growing right inside of him. A life that wouldn't have existed without him. It wasn't just a bunch of raging hormones or symptoms and side effects flowing through his body for no reason. Here was the reason. Here was the purpose of all his suffering for the last few weeks. Wrapped up in one image. When Trip looked at the baby it suddenly hit him that maybe all of his discomfort and worry was worth it after all. 

Archer found that his hand, suddenly on its own violation, had reached out to touch the screen, giving into his subconscious wish to be able to touch his baby. As he ran his fingers over the image John realized something. He'd forgotten about Enterprise. Archer had spent every day wondering what was happening on his ship. Where she was, who was in command and what new worlds were they exploring right now. That was his life and he had missed it dearly. Although he worked hard to adapt to their new life here, he still felt an intense longing for the ship and the world they had left behind, until now. 

The vision of their brand new baby just pushed the image of his starship right out of his head. Enterprise would be fine without him. Either under T'Pol's command, or that of another Starfleet officer, the ship and her crew no longer needed him, but this child and the man that carried her did. Archer felt a wave of love flow through him for his brand new family and for the first time he realized that he didn't miss Enterprise at all any more. He had found a new home.

* * *

A few days later Trip was washing up the dishes after another of John's well cooked dinners. The two men had worked up a system where they both did the chores. Trip was concerned that Archer was too tired from working in the factory all day and he felt that he shouldn't have to work harder when he came home, yet John didn't want Trip to do all the housework either. He told Tucker the reason was that he didn't want Trip to overdo it, even though the truth of the matter was that Tucker had much more energy now that he had moved into the second stage of his pregnancy. With the womb for the child now constructed all the kid had to do now was grow, and this was much less stressful for Trip. 

Both Trip and John knew it, but Tucker accepted Archer's explanation, believing that John was just a worry wart, that's all. There was that, but John also didn't want Trip to have to totally play the roll of "housewife." John knew that sometimes Trip's male ego had a hard time dealing with the fact that he was carrying a baby, traditionally a woman's role back on Earth and John didn't want to add to the pressure by having Trip do all the housewife roles in their domestic life, so he insisted on doing half of the chores. 

That night Trip was almost finished drying the dishes when he let out a gasp. Turning all his attention inward, Trip cradled his abdomen with his hand and let the plate slip out of his fingers, allowing it to smash on the floor. 

"Trip." John rushed to his companion's side in order to offer what help he could, but Trip didn't even seem to be aware of his presence. His hand flittering back in forth across the pod, Trip seemed to be lost in a world all his own. Thoroughly alarmed now, John reached for the phone. "I'm calling the doctor." 

"No." The panic tone of John's voice finally broke through to Trip, and the engineer returned a small part of his consciousness back to the apartment. "I'm all right. Really." 

Archer wasn't quite ready to believe Trip yet, the look on the engineer's face was downright...what? Trip didn't look exactly scared, and he didn't look like he was in pain. He looked more like he was amazed. "Trip?" 

Then Tucker actually smiled. "The baby's kickin', John. It's kickin'." 

A weight lifted from Archer's shoulders, only to be replaced by a sense of awe. "Really?" 

"Yeah." Trip had never experienced anything like it. Each kick was proof that another living being, obviously with a mind of its own, was living inside of him. "Oh, John. You've gotta feel this." 

Suddenly Archer wanted that more than anything. "Can I?" 

"Sure." Trip gasped a little when John's fingers brushed against the pod because his skin was extremely sensitive at that spot. Archer hesitated for a second, but when Trip nodded John once again reached forward. All at once he could feel Trip's skin buckle and move underneath his hand. There was a life there all right. Archer borrowed one of Trip's favorite expressions. "Wow." 

Trip grinned. "That sure sums it up, Johnny." 

The couple just stood there for a few minutes, reveling in this wonderful new sensation. They were sharing a moment of the utmost intimacy, then their eyes met and the mood shifted in an instant. This period of gentle bonding with their child suddenly transformed into a firestorm of unbridled passion. 

Before they knew what they were doing the couple closed the gap and their lips fused together. Kissing with weeks of unknown, pent up attraction all letting loose at once. Archer kept one hand on the pod, caressing the skin protecting the child within, but his other hand slipped under Trip's shirt and started snaking up his chest until the fingers found a home caressing Trip's right nipple. 

Tucker gasped at the intense feeling and stilled for a moment, before he rebounded and started some caressing of his own. Archer propped Trip up against the kitchen counter, unleashing a frenzy of kissing and touching, increasing their passion with every caress. 

Finally it all got to be too much. "I want you, Johnny." Trip growled. "Now." 

Unable to speak, Archer just nodded and led Trip to the bedroom. After they stripped off their clothes John paused by the side of the bed and took in the inviting sight that was spread out before him. To some Trip Tucker might have looked funny laying there with his cock totally aroused. A counterpoint to the large bulge that some might think marred that otherwise nearly perfect physique, but that's not what Archer thought. To him Trip was down right handsome, and the effects of his pregnancy only made John want him more. 

Trip called out Johnny's name to jostle him out of his stupor, begging him to hurry, and the captain ran into the bathroom to get some lube. Within seconds he was back at Trip's side, but he made no move to touch Trip, which flat out drove the engineer crazy. "What's the matter, Johnny? Don't you want to do this?" 

"More than anything." Archer admitted. "I just don't want to hurt the baby." 

"Ah..." Now that Trip understood what the problem was he quickly put his engineering skills to work. After some hard thought Trip shifted so he was laying on his right side, then he lifted up his left leg to provide Archer the access they both craved without putting their baby at risk. 

"Good thinking Trip." Archer praised then started to apply the lubricant to Trip's anxious opening. 

Trip squirmed at the touch and thoroughly enjoyed Archer's preparations, but it wasn't long before Tucker wanted to move onto the main event. "Now, Johnny. I want you inside me, now." 

More than a little anxious himself, Archer tossed the lube aside then positioned himself behind Trip. Careful to grab the engineer away from the pod, John pulled open Trip's ass cheeks and using one hand to guide his cock, the captain slowly began to push. 

Trip gasped when he felt Archer breech his loins. It was an unusual sensation. He felt like he was being stuffed full. A flash of pain hit him and for a second Trip thought that he wasn't going to be able to take John in. 

Archer felt this too. "Trip. You okay?" 

Trip nodded. "Just give me a second, will ya?" Trip panted out his request and Archer fought to keep still. Then after a long moment, Trip gave his assent. "Get goin'." 

Archer did his best, first thrusting in deep, then pulling out almost completely, then thrusting in deep again. 

Trip gasped with every movement. His hand keeping time with his own cock. Then Trip's gasps turned into intense, pleading little moans. Sounds of complete want and desire being satisfied with every thrust. 

Moaning himself, Archer retained enough control to move his left hand over Trip's side and to brush his fingers against Trip's pod. Trip gasped and the extra sensitivity of feeling Archer's fingers on his pod, along with the overwhelming thrusts consuming the fires within his body were more than enough. Trip clenched, tightening his body around Archer and started to come. This set off the captain. With a final thrust John buried himself, deep and convulsed when he finally began to ejaculate deep within Trip's bowels. The two men pulsed and gasped as they shared their release, then they sagged together. The fires of passion were put out, leaving a warm feeling of contentment in their wake. 

"Johnny." Trip whispered. "I think that was the best, damn sex that I've ever had." 

John smiled and kissed Trip on his left ear. "For me too." 

Trip turned onto his back and smiled up at his lover who still lay on his side beside him. "I guess this means we're really married now, huh?" 

Archer smiled back. "I guess so." Archer slipped an arm around Trip's upper chest to pull the engineer into a tight hug. "With our marriage now legally consummated then it's okay for me to call you my husband." 

Trip smiled. "And visa versa." Then the smiled turned evil. "It also means that we're legally allowed to do this as much as we want." 

Archer's smile matched his own. "And I'm getting the feeling that we're going to want to do this a lot." 

"Oh yeah." Trip's eyes started to close but his smile never faded as John snuggled in closer. Feeling more content than either man had ever felt before, the couple, in every sense of the word, drifted off to sleep. 

Now that they had crossed that bridge into intimacy the couple was finally free of the nervousness and hesitancy that had strained their relationship before and they fell full force into married life. 

The nights were hot, very hot. No more sleeping on the couch for John. They knew that they had a limited window of opportunity. Once the baby came then available time to spend concentrating on each other would be severely limited, so the sex was intense. A frantic effort to make up for lost time. 

During the day they prepared for the arrival of their child. On the weekend they went out shopping for baby supplies and during the week, when John was working, Trip was busy putting his engineering skills to work in converting their small storage room into a nursery. 

Sometimes it was quite a challenge. Trip was getting seriously large now and the protruding pod threw his center of gravity off of balance. Terrified of falling, Trip's number one priority was to remain upright. Since his body was improvising the pregnancy thing, Trip's womb wasn't as thick as a human woman's womb would be, and therefore didn't provide as much protection. Although Dr. Zarell told him that it was possible to fall without injuring the baby, Trip didn't want to take any chances. 

The nursery was coming along nicely, but there were still several items needed on their list so on John's next day off they went shopping. A member of the pregnancy group had recommended a store nearby and the couple went to check it out. Trip was surprised, when they entered they were instantly surrounded by wall to wall baby supplies. Trip thought they should change the name from "Baby Heaven" to "Babies R Us." 

John handed the clerk a list of their needs while Trip started wandering around. The clerk assured Archer that they had everything required but John hardly noticed when she left to start compiling the items. Most of his attention was focused on Trip. 

Tucker had wandered over to the crib section and had zeroed in on a beautiful round crib, painted white with blue accents and it a mobile hanging in the center. Trip read the tag and discovered that the crib could be converted to a bed as the child grew. Tucker thought it was the most beautiful thing that he had ever seen. "How much is this one?" When the clerk named the price Trip winced. It was way out of their league. Tucker sighed and ran his hand across the rail of the crib one more time before moving away. No such splendors in store for their little girl, a plain old wooden crib would just have to do. 

Archer followed Trip with his eyes as the engineer moved on to inspect the less expensive cribs. As he watched Archer couldn't help but think how really handsome Trip looked at that moment. Not that he didn't look great all the time, but there was something special about him now. Trip projected a robust, intoxicating aura of a man full of the spirit of life. Archer guessed that you could say that Trip positively glowed. John noticed with amusement that, although Trip appeared to be totally engrossed in inspecting the lower priced cribs, his eyes kept darting back to the expensive round beauty. 

Archer was just going to comment on this when the clerk brought in a stack of blankets. "What color baby blanket would you like?" 

"I can answer that." Trip abandoned the cribs for the moment to join John. "We'd like pink." Trip said this very deliberately, looking John straight in the eye. 

"Pink?" John asked a little shakily as the ramifications of Trip's color choice began to sink in. 

Trip saw that John had come to the right conclusion and nodded. "Doc called just before you got home. The test results came back. It's a girl." 

"A girl!" John was overjoyed and scooped Trip up in a big hug. They were going to have a little girl. A daughter of their very own. John couldn't remember a time when any other news made him this happy, including the day he learned he had been given command of Enterprise. Captaining a starship was one thing, but being a father....and to a girl at that....John couldn't imagine anything better. 

The clerk watched them with amusement that bordered on affection. Watching happy couples such as this was one reason she enjoyed her job so much. "I take it that pink symbolizes the females of your species?" 

Nudged by the quiet reminder that they weren't alone, the couple pulled back from their embrace. "Yes it does." Archer confirmed. 

"Then if you'll like, I will select pink for any of your items where color is a option." 

"That would be great." Trip said. 

The clerk set down the blankets and referred to the list again. "Now, I believe that I've gathered up everything...oh..." She looked up at the couple. "Have you selected a crib?" 

Trip was going to tell her that they were going to buy one of the plain wooden cribs when John spoke up. "We'll take the white one." 

"Johnny!" Trip protested. "It's too expensive." 

"You want it, don't you?" 

Trip eyed the crib again. "Well, yeah, but...." 

"Trip." Archer took Tucker into his arms again. "I keep telling you that nothing is too good for our baby. So I have to work a little more overtime to pay for it." John snaked his hand over the pod. "Our little girl's worth it, don't you think?" 

Trip's radiant smile was all the answer Archer needed. John turned to the clerk and gave their order. "We'll take the white one." 

"Very good, sir." Smiling at the cute couple before her, the clerk turned to finish up their order.

* * *

The days flew by. Trip and John worked hard and finally, with less than two weeks to go until Trip's due date, the nursery was ready. 

In fact, Trip had just finished putting the finishing touches on the wall paint when Tucker looked at the clock. Almost six. John would be getting off of work just about now. Trip liked to greet his husband when he came home, so Trip cleaned up and headed outside. 

Trip walked outside to the head of the stairs and scanned the courtyard. He only had to wait a few minutes before John stepped into view. Trip smiled and raised his hand in greeting. 

John saw his lover standing at the top of the stairs and with one hand on the rail and one hand waving at him and Archer felt the same flush of passion that he always experienced when he saw his husband and lover. Archer had only taken a few steps forward when disaster struck. 

The quake wasn't large. Not severe enough to damage buildings or destroy civilizations, but it was stronger than just the usual background tremblers that they were used to, and its effects were devastating. 

The shaking ground threw Trip off balance. The engineer tried desperately to grab a hold of the rail and keep himself upright, but he missed and fell. 

Archer watched in horror as Trip tumbled down the steps. He could see that Tucker had wrapped his arms around the pod in a desperate attempt to protect the baby, but it wasn't enough. Trip hit bottom, hard, then lay still. 

Archer was immobilized by shock for only a moment, then he moved. Screaming for help, he was at Trip's side in an instant. Tucker lay there, semi-conscious. At first glance Archer couldn't tell if the baby was hurt or not, but his eyes latched in on the horrible sight of blood dripping out of the corner of Trip's mouth. A sure sign of internal injuries. 

The next few hours passed in a daze for John. Rationally he knew that it was only minutes before medics arrived, but to Archer it seemed like Trip was laying there for hours before he finally got help. The ride in the ambulance was one big blur in his mind and he found himself sitting in the ER's waiting room without actually being aware how he got there. His hold on reality vanished the second they wheeled Trip out of his sight. 

Archer had been busy before. Talking to Trip, giving him words of encouragement even if he wasn't sure that his husband could hear, and holding his hand, but now there was nothing to do. Nothing to do but wait. 

Vaguely he became aware of others around him. Word of the accident must have spread because the room became full of the couple's friends from the factory and the pregnancy support group. They knew they couldn't do much, but they wanted to be there anyway. They wanted John to know that they were there for him and would do whatever they could to help. 

A part of Archer knew they were there and really appreciated their support, but most of his attention was fixed on those closed double doors. The very same doors that the gurney carrying his wounded husband and unborn child went through over two hours ago. 

Two hours? What the hell was taking so long? If the damage had been minor the doctor would have been out here before now to tell Archer that everything was going to be all right, but two hours? John had been fighting to remain optimistic, but at that moment he couldn't help but give in to a dark feeling of despair. 

What if Trip lost the baby? Oh sure, Archer knew that Trip hadn't been too thrilled with the idea of being pregnant when it first happened, but once he got over the shock he really fell in love with this child. They both did. If they were to lose her now, only a few short days before she was due to be delivered, then the effect would be devastating to them both. Archer knew that he couldn't even offer Trip the consolation that they would have another baby. Without an Xyrillian around to help with the conception, another pregnancy was biologically impossible for this couple. But no matter what happened they would remain a couple, Archer was sure of that. He was going to be there for Trip and they would get through this together. 

But what if the opposite happened? What if they saved the baby, but couldn't save Trip? If he lost Trip....John couldn't really get his mind to even consider the possibility. He'd known Trip for nearly forever. Even before they became lovers they had been the closest of friends. Trip had always been there for him. Helped him through the good times and bad and Archer's need for Trip only deepened since they became lovers. John didn't know how he could function without Trip's good advice and easy upbeat nature, but he would have to continue to go on, if only for the baby's sake. John would raise their daughter the very best way he knew how, and he would make damn sure that she would know all there was to know about the man who gave his life for her own. 

But what if he lost both? Archer didn't even have to think about that one. If both Trip and the baby died then as far was John was concerned he had no future. No future at all. 

The bang of a door flying open brought Archer out of his thoughts. Dr. Zarell was standing in the doorway. His green surgical scrubs accented with streaks of red. Blood. Trip's blood. 

Archer slowly got to his feet. Ready to learn what path his future was going to take, or even if he had a future.

* * *

Trip thought he must be dead. Tucker didn't seem to have any kind of body, he just was floating along in a dark, long void of nothingness. Then slowly, Trip began to become aware of...well himself. He kept his eyes closed and just concentrated on analyzing his feelings for the moment. First Trip could feel his legs, then his torso, then his arms and finally his head. Everything seemed to be accounted for, but a part of him kept screaming that something was missing. Trip risked moving his arm and brushed his hand over his abdomen. His flat abdomen. 

"My baby!" Trip's eyes flew open and he bolted upright in a rush. Fear and panic overwhelmed him as he realized that his baby was gone. He was no longer pregnant. 

"She's right here, Trip." The strong, comforting voice of his husband reassured him, and that voice wasn't the only thing he heard. Suddenly the sound of a baby wailing filled the room. Trip turned and saw John, standing next to his hospital bed, holding a squirming and crying baby in his arms. 

"Oh, God." Trip reached out and John gently handed their daughter over to him. Trip's eyes filled with tears as he looked down at the child he was holding. She looked like a normal baby, with the exception of a few trailing ridges of scales over her forehead and cheeks. Evidence of her partial Xyrillian genetics. 

Tucker instinctively started rocking her back and forth and the child's cries instantly quieted. Then Trip brought his left wrist to her mouth and gasped a little when she instantly started to suckle. Trip never felt such joy like this before, but he put the brakes on his rising happiness, because he still didn't know. "Is she all right?" 

"She's just fine, Trip." Archer reassured him and Tucker felt himself relax. "You both are." John gently eased himself onto the bed and wrapped his arm around Trip's shoulders. Archer still wasn't sure if he could allow himself to totally believe the truth, that his family was safe and was going to stay that way, but seeing Trip and the baby together finally put his last fears to rest. They were all right. 

On Trip's part he just let the joy overwhelm him. When he first got pregnant he never expected to feel this way, but holding his daughter in his arms, feeling the tug of her lips on his wrist as she sucked on his nipple, and feeling the strong presence of John's arm around his neck gave Trip a sense of security that he'd never known before. He looked up into John's eyes and the words that had been buried in his subconscious for so long, finally rose to the surface. "I love you." 

Archer's heart swelled at the phrase and he leaned down to kiss Trip. "I love you too..." John breathed as he pulled away. "I love both of you, so much." 

Trip kissed him again and then they both looked back down at their baby. Content in the knowledge that they were really, finally a family.

* * *

The weeks passed quickly and both John and Trip enjoyed watching their daughter grow. They had named her Annabelle after John's mother and Trip's grandmother and she rapidly became the center of their world. 

They considered the sleepless nights feeding their newborn more of a challenge rather than a bother. Ditto, dealing with dressing, bathing, and the dreaded diaper changing. The couple was just so glad that she survived that they positively embraced every chore. 

And it turned out that Annabelle didn't remain in the newborn stage for very long. Apparently the Xyrillian hormones had the same growth enhancing effect on Annabelle as they did on Trip. After all, he was pregnant for only a little under four months. She flat out grew like a weed. 

Within weeks she was crawling. Then a few more and she was toddling. A few more after that and she was talking. When nearly a year had passed she had reached the mental and physical level of a three year old child back on Earth. The little girl was pretty as a picture with Trip's blond hair, which grew long, and John's brown eyes, not to mention the small trail of scales that highlighted her eyes and cheekbones, a vivid reminder of Ah'len's influence. 

Her proud parents reveled at her every accomplishment and had to fight hard not to spoil her rotten. John was "Daddy" and Trip was "Poppa". Her first word was "Dada" and Trip and John had long, silly arguments over which of them she was referring to, but it didn't really matter. They loved her and she loved them and that was the important thing. 

Work progressed nicely too. Trip was able to pick up some part time consulting work that he could do at home. He enjoyed being able to put his engineering skills to use again, while still being able to keep an eye on Annabelle. 

At the plant John had been promoted to shift supervisor and word was that he was being considered for a move into management. Soon the captain would have command over people once again. 

Life couldn't have been better, although they did miss Enterprise and their friends and family back on Earth. Trip especially was bemoaning the fact that his mother would never get to meet her granddaughter, still he knew there were compensations. Spending night after night pressed up against John's warm, loving body was a big one. 

One day Trip had a hard time corralling his daughter. They were due to meet John at the park, but Annabelle was too busy playing with her imaginary friends to be bothered. 

"But Poppa..." The little girl protested as Trip struggled to stuff her wiggling arm into her coat sleeve. "My friends are talkin' to me." 

"Well, you're gonna have to finish your conversation later. Daddy is expecting us at the park. You want to see Daddy, don't you?" 

Annabelle nodded. She loved Daddy and Poppa. She let Trip finish putting her coat on and steer her out the door. Her friends would have to wait.

* * *

Annabelle spotted John first. She squealed and squirmed her way out of Trip's arms, then ran to meet her daddy. John scooped her up, and holding her very securely, he tossed her up in the air. "I'm flyin'." She giggled. 

Archer smiled. Sometimes he detected just a trace of Trip's accent when Annabelle spoke. It was so darn cute. "Just like a starship." Archer told her. He flew Annabelle around his head a couple of more times before putting her back on the ground and reaching out with his other free hand for Trip. "Hey there." 

"Hi." Trip greeted him back, then they exchanged a more than friendly kiss, before settling down to enjoy the park. "Sorry we're late. Annabelle had a little trouble sayin' goodbye to her friends." 

"Oh?" Archer and Trip sat on a bench and Archer put Annabelle on the grass at their feet. "What friends are those, sweetie?" 

"My birdie friends." Annabelle announced firmly. 

"Birdie friends?" This was the first time that Annabelle had mentioned 'birdie friends' so neither Archer or Trip were quite sure what she was talking about. 

"Un huh." Annabelle told them, but her attention was divided as she started to play with her dolls. "I heard them chirp, then they said funny things." 

Trip was puzzled. This wasn't Annabelle's usual type of made up story. "What kinda things, sweetheart?" 

"Funny words. Sounded like captain, and com...an...der. Stuff like that." 

Her parents froze. They had quit referring to themselves by their rank long ago, and the terms "captain" and "commander" weren't used on Hitaria, so how in the world did she pick them up? "Honey..." Archer asked her. "Where exactly did you hear your birdie friends say these words?" 

"In the big chest in your bedroom. The birdies must live there." 

"My God." Trip breathed. "The communicators." 

Archer nodded. They kept their communicators in the top drawer of their dresser cabinet. Neither John or Trip ever really expected to use them again but now Annabelle had heard chirping, and their communicators chirped when activated, and she heard their ranks being spoken. This could only mean one thing. 

"They came after us." Trip whispered, still not quite believing it was true. "They really came after us." 

John knew he shouldn't have been surprised at Enterprise's arrival but he was. He thought he had maintained his faith, kept alive the hope that his ship would come after them, but now Archer realized that he hadn't really thought that his crew would head out into unknown space for over a year. That they would really choose to give up being close to their families and live alone for such a long time just to bring back two men, but they did. Enterprise was here and the dedication of her crew to its captain and chief engineer was almost boggling. 

Archer may have been shocked at the crew's arrival, but John saw that Trip was thrown into a full blown panic. "Trip, what's the matter?" 

Tucker didn't answer verbally, he just glanced at John before concentrating on their daughter who was playing quietly at their feet. That's when John got it. "You don't want to go back, do you?" 

"It's not that I don't wanna go back." Trip clarified, then he turned his desperate gaze back to Archer. "I just don't wanna lose you." 

"You're not going to lose me." John tried to reassure Trip by flinging an arm around his lover. 

"Oh no?" Trip was far from comforted. "If we go back to Enterprise you go back to bein' the captain and I go back to bein' just your engineer. No more husband, no more marriage, no more family." 

Archer gripped Trip's arm tight. "Who says there'll be no more marriage." 

"Starfleet!" Trip ripped his arm out of Archer's grasp. "You know the regulations are against us, and what's the crew gonna think?" Even though Trip had been talking to Archer all this time, he never had Annabelle out of his sight, so he noticed when she started edging away from them chasing after a caterpillar type bug. "Stay here, Honey." 

"Yes Poppa." Annabelle grumbled, but settled down again at their feet. 

Confident now that his little girl was going to stay put, Archer turned his attention back to Trip. He had won some important debates during his career in Starfleet, but none of them were more crucial than the one right now. "Listen to me Trip. I am never going to leave you. Not for a woman, not for Starfleet, not even for Enterprise." He gestured to the gold band on Trip's finger. "I know you think circumstances forced us to get married, and maybe they did, but that doesn't mean that I didn't take those vows very seriously and I still do." Archer rubbed his finger against the gold band and looked deep into Trip's eyes. He wanted Trip to know that he truly believed everything that he was saying. "As far as I'm concerned we're married, until death do us part, and nothing, and I mean nothing, is ever going to keep us from being together." 

Trip's heart began to melt a little at the certainty in John's voice. "But what about Starfleet, and the crew?" 

"I'm sure the crew is going to be all right with it." Archer made his voice sound confident. "Dr. Phlox must have told the senior staff about your pregnancy, so no one should be surprised about Annabelle's appearance." John looked down at his daughter with affection. "Besides, the fact that they went to all this trouble to get us back proves how much the crew cares about us. I think they'll be happy for us." 

"I reckon you're right, but what about Starfleet? Officers of different ranks aren't even supposed to date, much less marry and have a kid. What are they gonna do about that?" 

"Well, there isn't much they can do at the moment, after all we're over a year away from Starfleet's region of influence. They won't be able to order us off of the ship for a very long time." 

"But what if they take away your command? They could do it you know. Leave us just bein' passengers until we get home." 

"I don't care. That regulation was made over 30 years ago, long before man was even out of the solar system. You and I both know that there are many couples who have gone underground in order to be together and if Starfleet tries to regulate romance out here, they're going to end up with a world of trouble. Command is going to have to let up sooner or later. They'll have no choice." 

"But what'll we do if they bust us out?" 

"Well, first off we'll let the relatives get a peek at our beautiful daughter there." Archer told him. "And if we really end up drummed out of Starfleet maybe Mayweather can get us a job on a boomer ship. I think some freighter might find our skills worthy, and that way we could keep Annabelle with us." Archer tightened his grip. "Our family is going to stay together, no matter what happens. You've got to believe me." 

Trip sighed. He had always been afraid that he could never really compete with Enterprise if the ship really showed up to rescue them, and now that it had finally happened he was relieved to learn that his fears were groundless. Trip kissed John, hard. It was his way of showing his husband that he did believe him, now and forever. 

Archer melted into the kiss for a few moments, then when they broke apart he gathered Trip into his arms and hugged him, hard. "I love you." John breathed into Trip's ear. 

"I know." Trip answered, and he did. "I love you too." 

They held the embrace for a moment, then broke apart. Then Archer turned to Annabelle. "I'm sorry, sweetheart, but I'm afraid we've got to cut our visit to the park short today." 

"Aw Daddy..." Annabelle complained. "How come?" 

Archer glanced at Trip who nodded. "We have to go talk to your birdie friends." 

"Yeah, Annabelle." Trip said, scooping her up into his arms, before glancing at Archer again. "It's time to go home."

* * *

The next couple of days were busy ones. John had quit his job after confirming that Enterprise was indeed in orbit and waiting for them. The people at the factory were sorry to see him go, but they understood when Archer told them that a ship had come to take them home. John offered to take some of the aliens who had been stranded back with them, but all of them declined. They had made a new life for themselves here and didn't want to leave. Both Trip and John understood that, they were fighting with similar feelings themselves. 

The hardest part was breaking the news to Annabelle. Hitaria was the only home she had ever known, and she didn't like the idea of moving, especially when Trip told her that they couldn't take her beautiful white bed along. There was no way that it could fit inside the shuttle. Trip's heart broke when she cried, but John was able to mollify her with promises of ice cream and descriptions of Porthos. Annabelle had never seen a dog before and suddenly switched moods and couldn't wait to pet him. 

She didn't have to wait long. Before they knew it they were at back at the shuttlepod which was packed and ready to go. A large crowd accompanied them to the lift off point. That's when Trip and John really realized how many friends they had made on this friendly world, and both men knew, no matter where they went, a part of them would always miss this home.

* * *

Their melancholy mood lasted exactly 10 minutes. Right up until they got their first sight of Enterprise in orbit. Trip whistled. He'd forgotten how beautiful she looked, and Annabelle let out an amazed "Wow." 

That made John laugh. "Wow" was one of Trip's favorite expressions. Like father like daughter. 

The shuttlepod quickly docked and they were greeted by the senior staff on the other side of the hatch. Everyone just stood there for a second, slightly uncomfortable in the awkward situation, before John broke the silence. "Hi everybody." 

"Captain." T'Pol said that as if they had only been gone an hour instead of over a year. 

Archer couldn't help but put his captain's hat back on and inquire about his crew. "Is everybody all right?" "We're fine, sir." Malcolm answered. "It's you and Commander Tucker that we've been worried about." 

"Yes indeed." Phlox interjected. "Especially considering Commander Tucker's 'special' condition." He nodded to Annabelle who was quietly sitting in Trip's arms, just taking it all in. "But I see everything worked out all right." 

"Sure did, doc." Trip answered, hugging his daughter close. "Everybody, this here is Annabelle Archer-Tucker." 

The crew returned the greeting, even though they were a little put off by the fact that their captain and their chief engineer had somehow managed to conceive a child. 

"I still can't quite believe that you came after us." Archer said. 

"You would do the same for one of us." Mayweather pointed out. 

"Yeah, but a two year round trip just to pick up a couple of people is a long way to go." Trip pointed out. "I'm surprised Starfleet gave you permission." 

"We merely pointed out the logic of the argument." T'Pol said. "It is the mandate of this mission to explore new worlds and new civilizations, we just simply requested that this voyage of discovery continue in a certain direction." 

"Exactly." Malcolm added. "And if we happen to pick you both up on the way, all the better." 

"Well..." Archer said. "We really appreciate it." 

He shot a look at Trip who tried to respond as sincerely as he could. "We really do." 

"Well there's no point in standing around in the launch bay." Phlox briskly pointed out. "I'd like to give you all a physical, then you can go ahead and settle in." 

"All right, doctor." Archer agreed and the group moved into the corridor. 

"You will be busy in sickbay for sometime, Captain." T'Pol pointed out. "I'll have a crewman move your belongings from the shuttle to your respective quarters." 

Trip stopped short and stared at John in alarm. Separate quarters was the last thing he wanted. John saw the panicked look, and gave Trip a nod of reassurance before addressing T'Pol. This was going to be hard to explain, but putting it off wasn't going to make things any easier. "Thanks for the offer, but we'll all be staying together in my quarters." 

That pronouncement sent a small burst of surprise around the room. Reed couldn't imagine what it must have been like, being the only two humans stranded on a planet light-years from Earth, still Malcolm wondered just how close the two men had become. Then he got his answer when he noticed the gold wedding band on Trip's finger, but now was not the time to dwell on it. Reed acknowledged the captain's statement with a simple "Yes sir" and the party resumed its way to sickbay. 

They just rounded a turn when they ran into Hoshi and Archer's face lit up when he saw who was with her. "Porthos." The captain cried and Archer moved forward to eagerly grab the squirming dog in a big hug. 

This didn't set well with Annabelle who was frightened by the sight of her daddy with such a strange creature and she began to cry. "I wanna go home." 

"Oh, baby." Trip tried to soothe her. "It's all right, really it is." 

"Sure it is sweetheart." Archer abandoned the dog temporarily and took the child from Trip. "This is Porthos. Remember, I told you about him? He's a nice doggie. Really." 

Archer's quiet talking calmed the child and her tears began to dry up, but she still eyed the dog warily as Archer moved her closer. "He just wants to be friends, that's all." Archer cooed. "Go ahead, you can pet him." 

Annabelle reached out a shaky hand and began to stroke Porthos' fur. When the dog licked her she drew back until Archer explained that the dog had just kissed her. That made Annabelle giggle. Her fear suddenly gone, the little girl threw her arms around the dog and gave him a big hug. John and Trip exchanged a relieved sigh. One hurdle overcome. 

As they reached sickbay Archer pulled Reed aside and gave him an order. There was something very important that he wanted Reed to do.

* * *

After the physicals were attended to, Archer had everyone gather in the situation room for a briefing. Tucker parked Annabelle in a corner where he could have a clear view of her while she played with Porthos. Now that she had gotten over her initial fright, the child and the dog were nearly inseparable. T'Pol noticed that a part of Tucker never let his daughter out of his sight. That must be part of the primitive parental instinct at work. She would ponder this later, but right now the captain was speaking. 

"I wanted to let you know that I haven't taken command from T'Pol yet. I'd like to know what's been going on with the ship first." 

T'Pol launched into her report. "Despite our long journey the crew and the ship are both in perfect health. We discovered several anomalies along our route which I believe will interest you, but we decided to save the detailed exploration for the return trip." 

"You see, sir..." Reed reported. "We felt that speed was more important than exploring on the way out." 

"Still, it must have been hard for you all to be all cooped up in even as nice a ship as Enterprise for so long." 

Mayweather smiled at them. "You both were well worth it, sir." 

They smiled back. T'Pol, uncomfortable around excess emotion, steered the meeting back on track by handing Archer a padd. "Here is a list of the interesting anomalies that we discovered. You can peruse it at your leisure Captain, then decide which one you would like to investigate first." 

"As to that..." Archer glanced at Trip who nodded. "I'm still want you to remain in command, T'Pol." 

T'Pol raised an eyebrow. "You do?" 

"For now at least." Archer knew he just startled the hell out of everybody and he knew damn well that they were in for more surprises before he was finished. "As you might have guessed, Commander Tucker and I got pretty close on the planet. Well..." Archer hesitated when he caught the uncertain look on Trip's face. He knew that the engineer was still afraid that John would back out of his commitment, even at this late date. It was finally time to put those fears to rest. "We got married." There, he said it, and now their marriage was on the record for good. 

There was a pause in the room as the crew tried to assimilate this little tidbit of info, although Reed, who had noticed Trip's ring was the least surprised. "Married sir?" 

"That's right, Lieutenant." Archer confirmed. "We had to in order to afford medical care for Commander Tucker, but then it grew into something more." Archer shot Trip a heartfelt look. "Commander Tucker and I are now married, in every sense of the word, and we're going to stay that way." The crew recognized the determined tone in Archer's voice and knew that he meant exactly what he said. Trip, meanwhile was able to let go his last shred of doubt and just revel in the thought that he could believe 100% that Jonathan Archer loved him more than anything, even this ship. 

As true as that was, Archer was still concerned about his crew. "I know this is a shock for all of you, and I want you to know how much Commander Tucker and I appreciate the sacrifice you all have made in order to rescue us, but I don't want you to feel uncomfortable about this. If you think that our being married will interfere with our duties, than I won't resume command, and Trip will stay out of the engine room. It's up to you." 

The crew mulled this over for a moment, then Hoshi broke the silence. "I think I speak for all of us when I say that there is only one word that fits this situation." 

"And what is that?" Archer nervously asked, hoping against hope that the crew would accept them. 

They did. "Congratulations." Hoshi moved forward and kissed first John, then Trip on the cheek. The couple relaxed as the others added their well wishes. Hurdle number two taken care of. 

Leave it to T'Pol to point out the next one. "Captain, as much as this crew obviously approves of your current situation, Starfleet may not." 

The good mood died. "I'm well aware of that, Sub-Commander, and I'm going to notify Starfleet of the situation immediately after this meeting. That is why you are going to remain in command until further notice." 

"Yes, Captain." 

Trip and Archer exchanged another worried glance. Their future was still hanging in the balance.

* * *

Trip spent the next couple of days in and out of engineering, and was relieved to see that his beloved engine was still going strong. Hess had done a brilliant job while he was gone, but command wasn't something she wanted or aspired to, and she was more than willing to hand the reins of chief engineer over to Tucker. Unfortunately Tucker couldn't take them back yet. John had given Starfleet a full report, but command was still evaluating their current situation and they were still waiting for word on whether they were still Starfleet officers, or merely passengers. 

Trip tried not to worry about it too much and just concentrated on getting used to living on Enterprise once again. Annabelle quickly became the belle of the ball. Everyone instantly fell in love with her, sometimes a little too much. At the moment Hoshi and Cutler were having a great time filling Annabelle up on the new wonder called ice cream, despite Trip's repeated pleas that it would spoil her dinner, and Trip could see that she was going to rapidly be spoiled rotten if he didn't keep an eye on things. 

Still, Trip knew that she missed their old apartment, and her old bed. She couldn't sleep on the small cot that they had provided for her in John's quarters and would only drop off when she was sandwiched between Trip and John. Although she loved being around Porthos, Trip knew that she wanted to go back home. That was impossible. Enterprise had broken orbit two days before and had begun her slow journey back to Earth. Trip knew that she would come around, but he hated to see that she was so unhappy. "Penny for your thoughts." A voice whispered into his ear. 

Trip closed his eyes and wanted to lean back into the strong embrace of the man who was standing behind him, but this wasn't Hitaria, Tucker reminded himself. Such public displays of affection were not allowed. So Trip fought the impulse and simply turned to look at his husband. "I just worry about her. That's all." 

"I know." Archer had been just as concerned, but now things were going to be different. "I have a little surprise for you." 

"Surprise?" Trip wondered if word had come back from Starfleet yet, but one look at Archer shot that theory down. They had both decided to stay dressed in civilian clothes until Starfleet officially ruled on their status, and Archer was wearing blue pants and a sweater, rather than his uniform so that wasn't it. What other surprise could John have in mind? 

He asked that question with a look which made Archer laugh, but instead of answering verbally, John simply stepped further into the room so Annabelle could get a look at him. 

"Daddy." Annabelle instantly ignored Hoshi and Cutler and ran across the room to jump into her fathers arms. 

"Hi, Sweetheart." Archer swooped her up into the air, before hugging her tightly and giving her a kiss. Then Archer turned his attention to the women his daughter so quickly abandoned. "You ladies don't mind if I steal our little princess away for a few minutes, do you?" 

"No, Captain." Hoshi answered for them both, enjoying the sight of such a cute family together. "Go right ahead." 

"It's just as well." Cutler admitted. "I think Commander Tucker was about to land on us with both feet for spoiling Annabelle's appetite anyway." 

"Well then, I'm happy to spare your lives." John said, knowing how ferocious Trip could be when it came down to protecting their daughter. Time to change the subject. "Come on then." Archer told his little girl. "I've got a surprise for you and Poppa." 

"A surprise." Annabelle squealed with excitement. "What kinda surprise?" 

"Well, let's go see." Archer nodded to the women, then led Trip out of the mess hall and down several corridors until he halted in front of a small compartment that was situated right next to his quarters. 

"Why are we stoppin' here?" Trip asked. "This is just a utility closet." 

"Not any more." Archer pressed the button and the door slid open to reveal that the storage closet had been miraculously transformed into a little girls bedroom, complete with Annabelle's perfect white bed. 

"My bed!" The little girl wiggled her way out of Archer's arms and ran to hop up and down on the mattress. 

Trip was just flat out floored. That bed, more than anything else, was a symbol of their family life on Hitaria. It broke Trip's heart to leave it behind, yet here it was. "How the hell...." Trip thought about it, then answered his own question. "The transporter?" 

Archer nodded. "I had Reed beam the bed up here just before we broke orbit." 

The gesture overwhelmed Trip. "I love you." He whispered. 

"I love you too." Archer whispered back. "But the bed isn't the only surprise." 

"There's more?" Trip wondered what could be better than this. 

Archer didn't keep him waiting. He simply pulled the sweater over his head reveling the fact that he was, indeed wearing his uniform. 

"Cap'n?" Trip deliberately used that word as a question. Was the fact that Archer was in uniform mean that now he officially held that rank? Did Starfleet officially approve of their marriage? 

Archer simply nodded that the answer was yes and then beamed at Trip's radiant joy. "You're out of uniform, Commander." 

Trip glanced down at his civilian clothes and smiled. "I guess I am." 

"Get changed and go on down to engineering." Archer told him, knowing full well that Trip was dying to get back into the saddle again. "I'll keep an eye on Annabelle." 

"Aye sir." Trip eagerly went out to fulfill that order. 

That night, while Annabelle slept blissfully in her beloved round bed, the soft sounds of sex could be heard from the next room. While Tucker took John inside him for the first time while on Enterprise, Trip relished the fact that he really did have it all. A job on the ship that he loved, a daughter he adored, and most of all, when Trip felt his lover come deep within him, he cherished the fact that he would be feeling this particular expression of Jonathan Archer's love for many years to come. 

Despite all the obstacles, he, John and Annabelle were truly a family, and they were really home.


End file.
